Someone to remember: Jerry Lucas

Basketball HOFer in Wooster to teach faith, memory skills

By AARON DORKSENDaily Record Sports EditorPublished: February 25, 2013 4:00AM

WOOSTER -- Only three men have ever played on basketball teams that won championships in high school, college, the NBA and the Olympics: Jerry Lucas, Quinn Buckner and Magic Johnson.

The first of those greats to achieve the basketball grand slam is Lucas and he's in Wooster to share his vast knowledge Sunday and today.

However, the purpose of Lucas' visit isn't to help kids become great basketball players or tell stories from the hardcourt -- although he doesn't mind talking hoops. He's here to help individuals become world-class people.

"I'm a teacher, that's what I've done since my basketball career ended in 1974," Lucas told a congregation he preached to at Zion Lutheran Church Sunday morning. "I used to play basketball, but now I'm a teacher."

Lucas shares one of the most unique, and life-changing messages, one will ever hear through teachings that combine Christian values and memory skills.

"I had accomplished a great deal as a basketball player, but I felt something was missing in my life as my career went on," said Lucas, who has been named to lists of all-time great players by the OHSAA, NCAA and NBA. "I grew up in a family that didn't go to church and we didn't even own a Bible.

"In fact, I'd never owned a Bible or read one until the end of my career in the NBA, when I was playing for the New York Knicks."

Lucas said a friend introduced "faith" into his life prior to his final season with the Knicks, and the last one as a basketball player, in 1973-74.

"I brought the Bible everywhere we traveled and read it everywhere I could," Lucas said. "I knew that God wanted me to teach others about faith after that."

Lucas' story may sound familiar for some people who were suddenly drawn to religion, but then he continued by saying, "I memorized the entire New Testament using the Lucas Learning System that I developed."

And that's where the other part of Lucas' teachings come in: improving memory skills.

"Knowing people is so important for many, many reasons," said Lucas, in an interview after delivering his message called "Improving Family Relationships." "Remembering names is something people struggle with their whole life.

"I've created a system that's easy and fun to learn for people to develop memory skills they never knew they had. It's easy to do even for people who think they can't."

The public is invited to hear Lucas explain his memory learning system during a program entitled "Names and Faces Made Easy" tonight at 7 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church.

Known as "Doctor Memory," Lucas gave the Zion Lutheran congregation an example of his "sound-alike technique" for improving memory by providing a list of 10 steps to help people become better family members and individuals.

For example, here's Lucas' No. 6 lesson: "The No. 6 rhymes with sticks," he said. "Guard what comes from your mouth. Gather a bundle of (imaginary) sticks and use them to put in your mouth when you might be about to say something you'll regret."

Lucas still follows basketball and was a special guest at an Ohio State game last week after he was named No. 8 on a list of the 75 greatest players in NCAA Tournament history. He helped Ohio State win the 1960 NCAA championship and the Buckeyes also won three Big Ten titles. He was a member of the 1960 U.S. Olympic basketball team that won a gold medal in Rome.

Lucas was one of Ohio's all-time top prep basketball players at Middletown High School.

During Lucas' 11-year NBA career, he scored 14,053 points and his 12,942 rebounds ranked fourth in league history when he retired and he's now 16th on the list. The 6-foot-8 center began his career with the Cincinnati Royals, and later played for the San Francisco Warriors and the Knicks and was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1980.

However, Lucas has gone on to impact people much more in his post-basketball career.

The married father of five, who now has 11 grandchildren, has published more than 30 books on the subject of improving memory, including "The Memory Book," "Ready, Set, Remember" and "Remember the Word."

Once someone meets Lucas, he's a man they're not likely to ever forget.

Lucas guarantees that people who attend his memory lesson tonight are sure to always remember what he has to say as well.

NOTE: Zion Lutheran Church is located at 301 North Market Street in Wooster. For more information, contact the church office at 330-262-5606.

Aaron Dorksen can be reached at 330-287-1621 or adorksen@the-daily-record.com. Follow him on Twitter at @adorksenTDR.